Dating back to the 15th century, American Indians played lacrosse. The game""s main purpose was to settle tribal disputes and more importantly, to prepare and toughen warriors for battle. Legend has it that team selection and victories were supernaturally controlled. Equipment and players are still ritually prepared by ceremonies that resemble those practiced before departing on the warpath. Non-indians witnessing this game likened the sticks used to play the game to the xe2x80x9ccrosierxe2x80x9d, which were carried by bishops as a symbol of their office. Hence the name lacrosse. In the 1800""s in Montreal, non-indians took up the game lacrosse which has since been designated as the national sport of Canada. The United States, England, Ireland, Scotland and Australia all play lacrosse and compete on the international level. Touted as the fastest game on two feet, lacrosse is considered to be an arduous test of strength and endurance.
Due to its cold winter weather, Canadians also participated greatly in the sport of ice hockey, which is considered to be the fastest game on two skates. Obviously, since ice hockey is placed on ice, it""s playing time is limited to outdoor rinks or ponds in cold weather, as well as indoor rinks both in warm and cold weather. However, due to the rapid increase in popularity of ice hockey, particularly in the United States, rink time is often difficult to obtain and is limited in nature.
The invention of inline skates brought the world the ultimate cross training mechanism for ice hockey. Although conventional roller skates have been used to play a floor version of hockey, inline skates most closely simulates the moves on ice and the uncompromising maneuverability that makes ice hockey so fast and exciting. Now a viable sport in its own right, and the fastest-growing team sport in America at the present time, inline roller hockey has captured the majority of the inline market. The organizations that support the sport of inline hockey have nurtured the ranks of recreational skaters to skilled team play with future opportunities at the college level and professional sports.
Aggressive skating is one of the fastest-growing individual segments of inline skating. Freeform dance of risky xe2x80x9caggressivexe2x80x9d tricks are performed on rails and ramps with ballet-like motion on inline skates. The sport is urban, extreme and artistic, exuding an attitude emulated by today""s youth.
The present invention is directed to a game combining various features of inline skating and lacrosse creating a unique blend of extreme individual skills that rely on expert cohesive team play. This game requires high-speed maneuvers, fast passing and dramatic free-form vertical skills thereby creating a visually exciting experience for the spectator and thrilling and competitive play for the participant. The players use a netted stick similar to a lacrosse stick allowing a ball to be moved along at speeds exceeding that of an ice hockey puck or lacrosse ball.
The sport is played on a planar playing surface combining inline skating with the traditional rink playing field of hockey. The planar playing surface could be enclosed by the boards which surround the playing surface of conventional roller hockey or ice hockey rinks. The planar playing surface would utilize the same floor markings as roller hockey. Additionally, the game can be played on a planar surface without the inclusion of the surrounding boards.
Other features and objects of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the following drawings.